No. 2 Notre Dame will have an opportunity to face a program with a pulse on Saturday night, but the goals inside the Irish offensive line room haven’t changed.
Offensive line coach Joe Rudolph keeps things simple during game week and it starts with winning.
“Every single week, our goal is just to elevate,” stated right tackle Guerby Lambert. “We have two goals every week in the offensive line room: To beat whoever we're playing and get better. I don't think that goal has necessarily changed. We just try to elevate in every single way that we can.”
Saturday’s matchup with BYU is a top-10 showdown, making it difficult not to have a little extra juice. However, Notre Dame is accustomed to preparing for opponents determined to deliver their best performance.
“I feel like, not in a cocky way at all, but it is Notre Dame, and we expect a team's best,” Lambert stated. “We expect the best atmosphere. I don't think it was particularly anything different. Obviously, BYU is an amazing team. They're going to bring their best.”
Notre Dame’s offensive line will need to be at its best against a physical BYU defense that features multiple fronts and plenty of different looks designed to challenge an offensive line.
The good news for the Irish is that the offensive line has started to find its rhythm over the last two weeks.
Lambert credits that progress to the work put in behind the scenes, both in practice and during additional time spent together in meetings.
“I think with any group, the more time you get together, the more time you play together, it's going to mesh together even better,” explained Lambert. “The more time we got with the backs playing against good teams, I think that helped us. Going against these guys every single day helped us.
“But seeing that actually in a game, going in and getting extra meeting time with the backs, going in and getting extra me-time with CJ (Carr) and with each other, I think all that just accumulated and helped.”
While chemistry and confidence are important, Lambert knows Notre Dame will have to match BYU’s physicality at the line of scrimmage.
“They're an extremely physical team,” Lambert said. “They play together. One thing I’ve noticed is teams that play together are scary teams to play because they're willing to do anything for each other. Physicality is a big part.”
Physicality has long been a defining trait of Notre Dame’s offensive line and the Irish will need to establish that identity early on Saturday night.
“I feel like every week we come into the game with the same expectation to be as physical as we can be, no matter who's lined up across from us,” said Lambert.
Communication will also be critical in what is expected to be a hostile environment at LaVell Edwards Stadium.
With the crowd expected to be rocking when the Irish offense takes the field, Notre Dame will utilize different snap counts to help manage the noise.
Quarterback CJ Carr primarily uses the clap, but Lambert said the offense has prepared to operate with a silent count throughout the season.
“We've had it in every single week,” Lambert stated. “You want to be ready for everything.”
Although Lambert remains focused on the task at hand, he acknowledged the excitement of playing in a big-game environment.
“As a kid, these are the games that you kind of dream about, being in these big environments,” said Lambert. “This is what you came to Notre Dame for as well. So being able to play in one of these games is obviously a huge blessing.”
Want the latest scoop on Notre Dame Football and Recruiting? Become an ISD Premium Subscriber and never miss the inside information. Sign Up for ISD
Notre Dame Fighting Irish '47 Operation Hat Trick Adjustable Trucker Hat
